Booster and Updated COVID Guidance – Winter/Spring 2022

Dear friends,

We want to thank you for your adherence to our guidelines for COVID-19, and this has helped us keep everyone safe during the 2021 Fall semester.

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 cases in Chicago and across the United States, due in part to the spread of the Omicron variant. To help meet our goals of meeting for in-person classes and continue protecting the health and safety of our campus and neighboring communities, the following changes will be implemented:

• COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots: Chicago Theological Seminary will require students and employees who wish to come on campus to receive a COVID-19 booster shot once they are eligible. By Wednesday, January 26, 2022, students and employees will need to submit proof of receiving a booster shot or apply for an approved exemption. You can submit proof of your booster or submit an exemption request to Michele Carr at [email protected].  In the meantime, we strongly encourage members of the CTS community to receive a COVID-19 booster shot as soon as they are eligible: six months after completing the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine series or two months after receiving Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. Everyone ages 16 and over is now eligible to get a booster shot. Those who are eligible for a booster shot but have not yet received one should obtain one prior to returning to campus in January.
• Masking: Face coverings are required at all times, with limited exceptions, for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals while in the CTS building. Lowering masks while speaking in class is not permitted. When eating and drinking, remove your mask for the shortest time possible, and do so with at least 6 feet of distance from others. Masks are an essential precaution to prevent outbreaks of the Omicron variant, which is currently thought to be more contagious than the Delta variant.
• Testing: Before traveling, get tested, and follow City of Chicago and CDC guidance for testing and quarantining after travel based on your vaccination status. We urge students and employees to get a PCR or antigen COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to returning to campus.

For the new booster shot requirement, all students and employees who have been fully vaccinated are welcome to attend our COVID-19 booster clinic held at Chicago Theological seminary on Saturday, January 15^th from 9-3 pm. Both Moderna and Pfizer booster shots will be available, and a reminder to bring your vaccination card. More details will be sent out in the new year.

For now, we continue to follow city and UChicago guidelines as it relates to COVID-19. Should it become prudent to reduce in-person activities on campus or otherwise adapt to new restrictions, we will update you as soon as possible if changes to our public health precautions become necessary.

Regards,

COVID Response Team

For the most up to date information regarding COVID-19, click here:

City of Chicago’s COVID Response Center: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home.html

CDC COVID Guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html